Last night, on 10.02.2022, the streaming platform Twitch issued new rules regarding usernames and display names on its platform. Severe violations may lead to a permanent ban, while minor violations will result in a name reset.
Why are there these new rules? Twitch tweeted at 21:02 on Thursday evening that new rules for usernames have been created (via twitter).
It is said that the aim is to “reduce harassment” and ensure that Twitch becomes a more welcoming place.
Just a few days ago, a LoL streamer was permanently banned by Twitch because he has a name that was deemed offensive.
What kind of names are prohibited? According to Twitch, usernames and display names are considered unacceptable if they imply the following:
- Violations of the law, including terrorism and exploitation of children
- Violence and threats
- Hateful behavior
- Harassment and sexual harassment
- Unauthorized sharing of personal data
- Identity theft
- Glorification of natural disasters or violent crimes
- Self-destructive behavior
- References to recreational drugs, hard drugs, and drug abuse with exceptions for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana
- References to sexual acts, genitals, or sexual bodily fluids
A permanent ban from Twitch for these violations regarding names
For which names can you get banned? According to Twitch, you can be banned for names that constitute clear violations of general community guidelines or typically stand for malicious and deceitful behavior. This includes:
- References to terrorism or terrorist organizations
- References to grooming or exploitation of children
- Threats, promotion of, or calls for violence against others in real life (with exceptions for references to video games or non-hateful historical violence)
- Calls for injury or killing a group of people
- Creation of a username that threatens others with violence
- Hateful behavior, including derogatory comments and slurs referring to protected characteristics
- Creation of a username that contains a hateful slur
- Glorification, promotion, or endorsement of discrimination, vilification, division, exclusion, hatred, or disgust based on protected characteristics (more information can be found in our policy on hateful behavior)
- Creation of a username referencing a hate group
- Mocking, denying, or glorifying proven hate crimes or genocides
- Harassment and sexual harassment of another person
- Creation of a username that sexually degrades another person
- Creation of a username that contains insults related to another person’s sexual practices
- Creation of a username that includes a personal attack on or targeted insults against another person
- Using the username to insult another person
- Mocking streamers, community members, or their deceased friends and family members
- Threatening or promoting suicide and self-harm
- Glorifying methods of self-harm, including suicide and eating disorders
- Encouraging another person to self-harm or commit suicide
- Registering a username that threatens suicide
- Unauthorized sharing of another person’s personal data:
- IP addresses, email addresses
- Mailing addresses, private addresses, private work, or school addresses
- Your own or private phone numbers
- Sensitive identification or financial information, such as account numbers or identification numbers
- Identity theft of another person, company, or organization
- Attempting to falsely claim to be an employee of Twitch
- Creating an account with a nearly identical name to another Twitch user and attempting to impersonate that person
- Attempting to act as a representative of a company or organization without permission (for more information about usernames that may constitute a legal violation regarding a trademark, please see our trademark policy.)
- Glorifying natural disasters or violent crimes
- Glorifying references to specific natural disasters that have resulted in fatalities, such as Hurricane Katrina
- Glorifying individuals who are directly responsible for the murder or death of others, such as serial killers
- Celebrating fatalities due to violence, including suicide and deadly governmental or police actions (see “Hateful behavior” for more information about our policies against the glorification of violence based on a protected characteristic)
A permanent Twitch ban is a significant blow for many streamers, as they lose their livelihood.
Reference to sexual orientation less severe for Twitch than suicide threat
What does Twitch consider less severe?
There is also a category under “perma-ban” where Twitch believes people acted “in good faith.” Here only a name reset is threatened.
This mainly concerns cases where display names fall into “sensitive categories”:
- References to recreational drugs, hard drugs, and drug abuse (with exceptions for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana)
- Explicit references to recreational drugs or psychoactive substances like mescaline
- Explicit references to hard drugs, including cocaine or heroin
- Open glorification of the abuse of prescription or harmful drugs, including practices like inhalant abuse
- References to pornography, sexually explicit and sexually suggestive content or behaviors
- Creation of usernames that refer to explicit or implied sexual acts
- Creation of usernames that indicate open sexual arousal
- Creation of usernames that contain references to genitals or sexual bodily fluids
- References to sexually transmitted infections and other types of sexually related traumas
- Open references to sexual fetishes
- The use of terms related to sexual orientation or disability in an offensive context or as a negative description (we remind you that the use of terms related to protected groups in an open, hateful, or derogatory manner will lead to a permanent ban, see “Hateful behavior” above)
- Creation of names with terms related to autism or intellectual disability in a negative or derogatory context
- Creation of names with terms related to sexual orientation such as “gay” in a negative or derogatory context
Traditionally, most bans on Twitch occur not because of names, but because of violations of the nudity rules. However, the bans there can sometimes also be significantly shorter than one might think:
Twitch streamer conducts naked sex show, gets banned for only 3 days
